Method and device for lifting

ABSTRACT

Straps are used to form a supporting plane for a body resting on a supporting structure, which straps are double folded and inserted under the body while holding one end of the strap until the other end of the strap is completely inserted under the body. Two bars are placed parallel and with a certain distance from the body on each side of the body. The free part of each strap is attached, double folded, to one of the bars. The attachment point of the strap is rotated around the geometric axis of the bar in such a way that the part of the strap, which runs from the body, will be placed over the double folded end. The end of the strap, which has been inserted under the body is fixed on the other bar or is attached in the same way as the first end.

This invention concerns a method in order to arrange a supporting planeunder a body which is resting on a supporting means, whereby straps areused, which are double folded, pushed in under the body while holdingone of the free parts of the strap. The invention also concerns asupporting plane for carrying out the method, the supporting planeincluding several straps, which form the supporting plane.

The invention is specifically suitable for arranging a supporting planeunder a person, who is lying on a bed or a similar even supportingmeans. The person can then by means of the supporting plane and ahoisting means be lifted from the bed without the position of the personbeing changed. The invention is based on that a double folded strap canbe inserted under the body by means of a spade, while one part of thestrap is held. When the spade is pushed completely under the body, thesecond part of the strap can be drawn out completely so that the strapis placed under the body in the form of a single part and the ends ofthe strap can be reached outside the body e.g. for clamping or hoistingthe two ends of the strap. A supporting plane can now be arranged bythat several straps are pushed under the body and are braced, whereafterall the straps together can be lifted by a lift or the similar means.

In order to arrange a supporting plane, which is adapted for lifting abody of a human being from a bed, the invention has been given thefeature stated in the following claims.

An embodiment of the invention will be described by reference to theenclosed drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view from above of an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view from a front end of the arrangement accordingto the invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a strap being brought completely under thebody and the ends of the strap overlying rotatable bars.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view in enlarged scale in relation to FIGS. 1 and2 of the left side of the arrangement.

FIG. 5 is a schematic enlarged view of a loop on a rotatable bar.

In FIG. 1 is now seen a perspective view of the supporting means 1 inthe form of a bed and a body 2 lying thereupon. In order to lift thebody from the bed 1 a supporting plane 3 has been arranged. Thesupporting plane 3 consists of two bars 4. The bars are parallel to eachother and are fixed in relation to each other by means of two end pieces5. The two bars 4 are rotatable around their centre axis 6 in relationto the end pieces 5, which will be described in the following. Therotation is arranged e.g. clockwise in the free direction of a springlatch (not shown), which thus stops rotation in counter clockwisedirection. Preferably it is so arranged that the right bar 4 is row atable clockwise and is stopped to rotate in counter clockwise directionwhile the left bar 4 is rotatable in counter clockwise direction and isstopped in clockwise direction.

Several straps 7 are stretched between the bars 4 and form thesupporting plane for the body 2. The supporting plane can be said to beformed by the frame which consists of the bars 4, the end pieces 5 andthe straps 7. The straps 7 are placed under the body 2 by means of anearlier known method. This is shown in FIG. 2, whereat the straps 7 areinserted under the body by means of a spade 8, which e.g. can be a hardplastic band. The upper part 9 of the strap 7 is held while the underpart 10 of the strap 7 is sliding in under the body 2. A number ofstraps are inserted in this way under the body 2 and the number can e.g.be 6-10. In FIG. 3 there is shown schematically when the strap has beencompletely brought under the body and the two ends lie over itsbelonging bar 4. Each bar 4 has a number of loops 11 in thecorrespondence to the number of straps. The opening of the loops 11 isin correspondence to the dimension of the straps. The opening of theloops are situated lengthwise the bars 4 (see FIG. 5). The loops arefixed to rotate with the bars 4 but can be displaceable in thelongitudinal direction of the bars. The straps 7 are thus threaded onthe loops 11 on both sides of the body 2, see FIG. 3.

The bars 4 and the end pieces 5 are thus put together so that the barsare rotatable in the free direction of a spring latch. The bars are thuse.g. in the position shown in FIG. 3. When the straps have the positionshown in FIG. 3, the bars 4 are rotated, the right bar clockwise and theleft bar in counter clockwise direction at least one revolution. Theleft bar 4 will then have the position shown in FIG. 4. The bar 4 isprevented to rotate clockwise by the spring latch and the strap 7 isprevented to run off the bar by the friction which is generated betweenthe two parts of the strap, which parts bear against the upper edge ofthe loop 11. The strap 7 is thus fixed to the bar 4 by means of the loop11 and that one part of the strap runs through the loop 11 and returnsover the loop 11. After that the straps have been fixed to the bars inthis way, the straps can eventually be stretched further by that thefree end 9 of the strap is pulled. Thus the straps 7 can be stretched tothe bars 4 on both sides of the body 2. It should be noted that it hasbeen described that the straps can be stretched on both sides by meansof its bar 4, but it is also possible that e.g. the right bar 4 is notrotatable and that this end of the straps is fixed to the bar in anysuitable way whereat the straps are stretched only by means of the leftbar in the way described above.

It has been described above that the supporting plane consists of bars4, end pieces 5 and a number of straps 7 having a suitable tension. Alift or a hoist can be coupled to the supporting plane so that the body2 can be lifted from the supporting means 1 and moved to a wantedposition. After the body has been lowered to the wanted position thestraps are released simply by the upper part of the strap part beinglifted from the loop 11 so that the friction between the two strap partsis released. Alternatively the spring latch is so arranged that it canbe disengaged whereby the bars 4 can be rotated in the oppositedirection so that the straps are released from their loops 11.

A preferred embodiment has been described above but it is easy tounderstand that there are variations. For instance each loop 11 can beseparately rotatable around the geometric axis 12 of the bar, whichmakes it possible to adapt the tension of the different straps. Thereare also different kinds of spring latches which can be used in order tomake the bars rotatable in one direction in relation to the end pieces.

I claim:
 1. Method for arranging a supporting means under a body restingon a supporting structure, said method comprising: double foldingstraps, inserting the double folded straps under the body while holdingone of free ends of said straps away from the body, placing two barswith a fixed mutual distance parallel to each other on two sides of thebody respectively, attaching said one free end of each strap to one ofthe bars, rotating the one bar and therefore the point of attachment ofthe free end of the straps to the bar about a geometric center axis ofthe bar, such that a part of the strap running from under the body bearsagainst said free end of the straps and fixes said free ends of thestraps to said one bar.
 2. Supporting plane for lifting a body from asupporting structure, on which the body is resting, said supportingplane comprising: a number of straps to be inserted under the body, anda frame construction including two parallel situated bars fixed inrelation to each other, at least one of the bars having a number ofloops with a width dimension at least equal to a width dimension of thestraps, said loops being arranged along the bar and the loops beingrotatable upon rotation of the bar about a geometric axis of the bar sothat the straps are stretched between the bars when at least one of thebars is rotated.
 3. Supporting plane according to claim 2, wherein theloops are fixed on the bar.
 4. Supporting plane according to claim 2,wherein the loops are arranged in groups in relation to the bar. 5.Supporting plane according to claim 2, wherein the loops are arranged onboth of the bars.